UWI Today March 2015 - page 16

16
UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 1ST MARCH, 2015
UWI
TODAY
ON CRICKET
This is an excerpt from the ‘aide memoire’
submitted
by the Committee on Governance of West Indies Cricket,
set up by the West Indies Cricket Board. The Committee,
chaired by former Jamaica Prime Minister PJ Patterson,
included Ian McDonald and Sir Alister McIntyre. The final
report was presented in October 2007.
(1) Governance of West Indies Cricket
* There is a disconnect between the private cricket
institutions and public ownership of the game;
* Administration at the top is seen at best as unwieldy,
remote and non-representative and, at worst, as an
ineffective and secretive cabal;
* Relationships with WIPA, CARICOM Governments,
national boards are all in question, one way or another;
* Aspects of the current ICC regime are proving
detrimental to our interests.
We intend to address these concerns in advising how
theWICB should be set up and run.
Changes are essential.
A new departure is urgent.
Organizational Requirements and Structure
Because of its diffusive character, the organizational
structure for cricket should be sufficiently de-centralized
to allow the exercise of local initiative, while at the
same time providing adequate opportunities for the
regionalization of management where there are evident
economies of scale and scope to be realized.
Accordingly, any constitution for West Indies
cricket should continue to provide for a management
structure, based on a regional entity linked to and in close
interaction with territorial bodies.
There is little doubt that the present structure
is too unwieldy; nor does it provide sufficient scope
for involvement and participation by all the major
stakeholders.
TheWest Indies Cricket Board shouldgiveway toamore
representative body.
One clear option entails the creation of aWest Indies
Cricket Commission, enabling representation of all major
interest groups, e.g. territorial boards, players andofficials,
women, the Caribbean Community, the private sector
and civil society.
When the membership of the Commission has been
chosen, it would then appoint the chairman.
Such a Commission would meet bi-annually and be
responsible for approving the policies, programmes and
budget.
A modified approach could be to establish a
nominating body comprised of nominees of the Cricket
Boards, the Governments, the West Indies Players’
Association, past players, the regional private sector
and the media to identify, interview and nominate the
directors.
Even if final selection is to be dominated by the
Territorial Boards, it should be limited to the list of names
submitted by the nominating body. (Such a format is
not unlike that which now exists for the nomination of
Judges of the CCJ.)
In either option a small executive body, appointed
by the Commission/Board should be charged with
implementationoftheworkprogrammeandmanagement
of the budget. Such an executive body may have some
territorial representation, but the aim is to provide
members with the necessary expertise in areas such as
marketing, finance, business negotiations and corporate
law.
Yet another option is for the WICB to be run as a
publicly listed company on regional Stock Exchanges,
with directors accountable to shareholders, replete with
an annual general meeting.
This could also help to raisemuch needed capital and
give the Caribbean public a sense of ownership.
Such a broad share-ownership structure would be
spread among regional institutions, Territorial Boards,
CARICOM companies and nationals (resident or abroad),
WIPA.
There would need to be safeguards against
appropriation of the Board by special interests.
Caps would have to be set, and the voting power so
arranged as to avoid control ending up in the hands of a
limited number of persons and corporations or result in
a populist systemwhich could stultify effective decision-
making.
No matter how the Board is chosen, there must be
a clear delineation between the role of the Board as a
policy making and monitoring entity and that of the
management and staff as the executing arm.
“The Board should not attempt to micro-manage
every aspect of the game.”
When the Board gets embroiled in administrative
details, or in a daily quarrel with the simplest of things, its
authority and credibility become severely undermined.
* No Board can operate properly where trust does
not exist, when discussions and decisions are constantly
leaked.
*Transparency and confidentiality are not conflicting
requirements for successful corporate managements.
The Board should be so comprised and its affairs
handled in a manner where conflicts of interests do not
determine or influence the conduct of its business.
In general, the Secretariat must have the requisite
professional competence, efficient support staff and be
suitably equipped to become a high effective corporate
entity.
It needs to maintain close links with all member
territories andother associated interests, suchas sponsors,
regional Governments and organizations responsible for
cricket in other countries.
As currently exists, a Chief Executive Officer will be
appointed who is responsible to the Board/Commission
for the execution of its programme and management of
its affairs.
A completemanagement audit with the Board’s staff
will become necessary, but at present we suggest that:
The CEO will be supported by three divisions –
- One dealing with Operations that will include units
responsible for teamperformance, finance,marketingand
the management of tours and competitions;
- Another will be responsible for the servicing of the
Boardand its subsidiarybodies, aswell as communications
and public relations;
- The third unit will be responsible for cricket
development and that will include the Academy system,
training for other cricket personnel such as coaches and
umpires, the placing of young players abroad, the 15-19
regional competition, and all other matters having to do
with the development of players and the game.
The full report can be found online at
windiescricket.com/sites/default/files/documents/
Committee-on-Governance-of-West-Indies-Cricket-
Final-Report.pdf
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNANCE OFWEST INDIES CRICKET
The Patterson Report
The West Indies Cricket Board should
give way to a more representative body
1...,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15 17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24
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